Mom and Dad Don't Live Together Any More

Gwen Zilm was Technical Services Librarian, Okanagan College, Kelowna, British Columbia.

Kathy Stinson will be familiar to readers of children’s books as the author of Red is Best and Big or Little, two very popular books aimed at the two-year-old and the toddler.

This book, Mom and Dad Don’t Live Together Any More, is intended to convey to children five years old and under the essential facts about divorce: Mom and Dad have made a decision to live apart, the decision is irreversible, the child is loved by both parents, but the child’s wish for a reunited family is futile.

Fine pencil and watercolour drawings by Nancy Lou Reynolds, an experienced illustrator of children’s books, show in the self-protective posture of the child all the sadness, tension, and anxiety she feels.

No attempt is made to hide the disruption caused by divorce to everyday routines and settings. Mom and two children have moved to an apartment in the city. Dad continues to live in the family home in the country. Playing with old friends is possible only on weekend visits to Dad’s. The smile at the end of this story strikes me as just a coping strategy for a child who has asked herself, will Dad marry his new girl friend? Is divorce inevitable for me, too? Will Santa know where I’ve moved to? As one of few titles for young children on divorce, this book deserves wide exposure. It is well written and is at a level appropriate to young children. Its brevity is designed to hold the interest of a three- to five-year-old.